bay laurel

5.5

A small evergreen tree with shiny scented leaves used in cooking and for making wreaths

noun
/beɪ ˈlɔːrəl/

: laurel

In ancient Rome, victors were crowned with bay laurel as a symbol of honor and success.

Examples

She decided to plant a bay laurel in her garden for its fragrant, aromatic leaves.
And then we've got a Bay Laurel right here, which this one's called Little Ragu Sweet Bay.
The chef added fresh leaves from the bay laurel tree to enhance the flavor of the stew.

Synonyms

bay

vsbay laurel

13 5.3

A small evergreen tree with glossy leaves used to add flavour to food

is the same culinary and historical tree but expressed as a common term

laurel

vsbay laurel

4 5.6

An evergreen tree or shrub with shiny leaves used in cooking and decoration

is a specific Mediterranean culinary and ceremonial tree rather than a general group

Laurus nobilis

vsbay laurel

Specialized

7.0

A small evergreen tree from the Mediterranean whose shiny leaves are used as bay leaves in cooking

is the everyday cooking and ceremonial name rather than the scientific label

true laurel

vsbay laurel

6.8

A small evergreen tree from the Mediterranean with glossy fragrant leaves used to flavor food and for wreaths

is the common, nontechnical name used in cooking and tradition

bay tree

vsbay laurel

4.0

A small evergreen tree with shiny leaves used to add flavor to food

is the same culinary and ceremonial concept but stated in ordinary speech

Surface Forms

bay laurel singular

bay laurels plural

Morphology

bay + laurel

Both constituents 'bay' and 'laurel' denote evergreen aromatic plants, so a learner who knows those words can infer that 'bay laurel' names a specific aromatic evergreen (used in cooking). The compound is compositional and matches transparent naming patterns found cross-linguistically, making the meaning directly derivable from its parts.

Etymology

Bay laurel names a small tree with shiny, scented leaves that people long ago wove into wreaths for winners. Because they put laurel crowns on winners to show 'victory' and 'honour', the plant became a sign of praise and its leaves are still used to add flavor when cooking.